Food Banks Expect Busiest Year Ever

It happens every year around this time: food banks begin their massive winter drives, not only for the holidays, but for the cold months ahead when heating bills begin to rise and families have to make painful choices between buying groceries and paying for utilities.

Around the country, food banks are preparing for an especially difficult season ahead. With the economy only sputtering along at best, many people are simply giving up on trying to find work, Craig Robbins, director of Paul's Pantry in Green Bay, Wis., told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. His pantry is expecting their "busiest season ever."

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"Last year I think people were still somewhat hopeful that things were going to turn around and this wasn't going to last very long," Robbins said. "Many of the people that are unemployed have become so disappointed and so discouraged that some are giving up looking for work."

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There are similar stories in California. Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties has seen their client numbers grow with each passing year, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal. Two years ago, they served 207,000 clients per month. Last year, those numbers increased to 231,000 each month. They're expecting even more now.

Of course, the holidays only make these situations even more difficult. In Omaha, Neb., the Omaha Food Bank received 3,500 turkeys on Monday – almost twice what they received last year. They're still about 1,000 short of what they need, according to WOWT.com.

Last month, the United States Census Bureau released a slew of fairly depressing figures: the number of Americans living in poverty increased almost a full percentage point between 2009 and 2008. It may not sound like much but that means the number of Americans living in poverty rose from 39.8 million to 43.6 million people – in just a single year. (Sadly, the U.S. isn't alone. Other wealthy nations such as Canada and Australia are facing similar crises, as well.)

Want to help? Contact organizations like Feeding America for links to food banks and food drives in your community. Start a food drive – or a coat or shoe drive – at your temple, church, or mosque.

"We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the ocean," Mother Teresa is credited with saying, "but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."